NEH awards Francom’s language study

Assistant Professor of Spanish and Linguistics Jerid Francom has been awarded $25,000 by The National Endowment for the Humanities to study Spanish language use and cultural trends. Francom will spend the spring semester traveling to Spain, Mexico and Argentina collecting data on word usage in these countries and pairing the results with in-field psychological testing.

Using cutting-edge computer technology, the combination of objective data processing and behavioral investigation is expected offer new insights into similarities and differences between these Spanish-speaking countries — the triangle of the Hispanic world. The research will be used to modernize Spanish language and culture teaching methods and better prepare students for study abroad experiences.

Francom joined the Department of Romance Languages in 2009.